"Anyone and Everyone is a moving and beautiful portrayal of the love
between parents and children, and the work some parents are willing to do
for the sake of that love."
--Bent Lens Cinema
"... a moving documentary of American families' most heart-wrenching and heartwarming moments."
--Keith York, KPBS Director of TV Programming

Connected by having a son or daughter who is gay, parents across the country discuss their experiences in the documentary Anyone and Everyone. In it, filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz, depicts families from all walks of life. Individuals from such diverse backgrounds as Japanese, Bolivian, and Cherokee, as well as from various religious denominations such as Mormon, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Southern Baptist, share intimate accounts of how their children revealed their sexual orientation and discuss their responses.

The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing
with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations.

"It was so evil and so bad that we almost couldn't talk about it... You just had the idea it was so terrible that it was unspeakable," said a Mormon mother in the film.

"Having heard all these awful things
and what homosexuality was and then having a member of your family, a person that you
have seen, a child that you have seen since the child was born, a person that
was absolutely wholesome, good, kind, gentle and that put together with the
word lesbian didn't add up," said a hispanic mother.

This film is especially important since up to 26% of gay teens who come out to their
parents or guardians are told they must leave home. Of the approximately 1.6 million
homeless American youth, 20-40% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
Nearly 40% of LGBT (GLBT) students report being physically harassed. In a 2001 Department
of Health study of youth in Massachusetts, about 40 percent of gay and lesbian
students attempted suicide, compared to about 10 percent of their heterosexual peers.

The film also depicts meetings of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
where people get support and help.

The film was first aired on KPBS San Diego in August, 2007 and is scheduled to play on most PBS stations
throughout the year including National Coming Out Day (October 11) and Gay Pride Month (June).